Deerfield Cuts Tax Rate

DIGEST

September 19, 1990|Staff reports

DEERFIELD BEACH -- Although the City Commission approved a healthy cut in the city tax rate on Tuesday night, several residents urged an even bigger reduction.

Commissioners trimmed the proposed tax rate for the budget year starting Oct. 1 from $5.06 per $1,000 assessed value to $5, telling City Manager Barry Evans to find $123,000 in cuts in the $46 million budget to get the tax rate down. The city tax rate this year is $5.50 per $1,000 taxable value.

The owner of a $100,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption will pay $375 next year, compared with $412.50 this year. But reassessment generally increased property values, so many tax bills will not go down.

Several of the complaints were directed at a proposal to increase Evans` salary from $80,000 to $85,000 even though he got a $5,000 raise two months ago.

Evans has only been on the job eight months, critics said. But commissioners unanimously praised Evans during his job evaluation on Tuesday night. Then they decided to give him a $4,000 raise effective in April instead of a $5,000 raise effective in October.